Details of the Book Auction on Nov 16

For those interested in attending the Alcuin Book Auction on Nov 16, 1 p.m. at the UBC Golf Club, here are a few more reasons why they should come, other than their love of beautiful books, and appreciation of a good bargain.

We mentioned this is going to be fun, and you probably wonder how fun an auction can be.

First, you will be treated like a real bidder. As you come in, you will be given a paddle with a number, which will be your main tool as you play the auction game like a pro. You will have the opportunity to delicately wave it in style every time you bid on one of your favourites. Fear not, we accept cash, cheques or VISA at the end, so you can spend at your leisure, be it $10 or $200.

You should be prepared for a torrent of jokes and banter. The auctioneer, John King of J. King, Bookseller, coming all the way from Garden Bay on the Sunshine Coast, has an incredibly
wicked sense of humour. He will be assisted by our own Alcuin board director Ralph Stanton, Librarian Emeritus, with his flair for spontaneous jokes rooted in actuality.

Since there are more than 200 books on auction, it is impossible to go through all of them. Therefore, at the beginning of the auction, bidders are going to identify the books they are interested in, so that we make sure they go on auction. The bidding starts at half the price of the book, and could go up or down, depending on the interest. A very interesting feature is The Book that is Impossible to Sell category, which includes the most extravagant book deemed by the auctioneers as the least desirable. Ironically, The Book That is Impossible to Sell always sells.

Happy bidding and have a great time at the auction!